Summary

The short story “May the Best Man Win” by Kit de Waal takes place during a pub night, where the clients watch a boxing match. The story opens with a group of white men arriving with a television. Everyone is surprised to see them, because the bar is usually frequented by non-white men. The white bartender Patti also notices them. Patti’s boyfriend, Fitz, challenges one of the white men, Eddie. Eddie does not fight him. Instead, he orders drinks for both Fitz and himself, and tells Patti to plug in the television, because he wants to watch a boxing match. Pattie seems fascinated with Eddie, and starts referring to him as “the King” because of his self-confident attitude. 

The men get the television to work, and Eddie begins to cheer on Muhammad Ali whom he believes to be best boxer in the world. The...